


You Help Me Feel Safe

by FeatherQuilt88



Series: Dragon's Brood [5]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Adopted Children, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Children, Cute, Cute Kids, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fire Lord Zuko, Found Family, Gen, Haiku, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, Platonic Cuddling, Poetry, Post-Canon, Soft Zuko
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2020-03-09 02:45:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18907933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeatherQuilt88/pseuds/FeatherQuilt88
Summary: As their week at sea goes on, Iroh and Zuko grow very close to the little girl they found stowed away on their ship. Close enough, even, to be family? (The "T" rating is purely for one actionless-but-emotionally-heavy scene at the beginning, involving a discussion about Iroh's guilt over the part he played in the war.)





	You Help Me Feel Safe

**Author's Note:**

> Reeza is yet another background fancharacter of mine who grew out of this series--I thought it would be nice to challenge stereotypes and have a tough, formidable crewman/warrior who happened to be an elderly woman.

The next morning did not turn out to be nearly as happy in tone as the previous night and day. It had started well enough, with a lovely breakfast of turtleduck-egg omelettes and bean buns, and there had even been a singalong. But then, while out on the deck again, Chiko had overheard Sir Uncle talking with Lieutenant Yumi.

The pretty officer often looked younger than she really was, with her enthusiastic expression, and her brown hair in two mouselike buns. "Some of the boys have decided to have an arm-wrestling championship down in the engine room," she flipped a thumb over her shoulder, chuckling quietly. "I'll bet you could beat at least half of them solid! Would you like to come, General Iroh?"

Though he had begun to smile at the compliment on his unassuming strength, Iroh's face had fallen on that last note. " _Please,_ Yumi, I have told you before, I am not 'General' anymore." His voice was sterner than Chiko had ever heard it before, during her short time around him so far, but it seemed more sad than angry. "Just call me by my name."

"...Oh," Yumi peeped feebly, folding her hands in a slight bow. "Sir Iroh, then. We just thought you'd like to join us, that's all." She hurried away.

Chiko toddled forward, carrying Rei. Her little face furrowed with concern. Though she had admittedly only known him for a day and a morning, she had never seen her jolly friend look so downcast before. "...Why do you not want to be called 'General Iroh,' Sir Uncle?" she stared up at him, eyes solemn and innocent.

Iroh swallowed hard. "Because I am not General Iroh anymore, Chiko. General Iroh... was not a nice man. --He was kind to his family, yes, but he... he was not kind to most of the rest of the world."

Chiko faltered. The old Firebender turned to face the sea, and heaved a great sigh. "I'm sorry, little one. I probably should not be telling you this. But it's just..." he looked back over at the six-year-old, whose eyes were growing more concerned than ever, and his own began to leak tears. "...It may hurt you more to find out later, rather than now. I know you've... you've gotten rather attached to me, and I to you," he added, truthfully.

Chiko didn't run off, so Iroh continued, as gently as he could. His short form was barely able to lean over the ship's railing--and Chiko, meanwhile, of course couldn't lean at all, and so just still held her doll and stared up at him. The Dragon of the West started at the best place he knew.

"...When I was a general, in the Fire Nation army, many of the battles I fought were defensive. Rather like the one you mentioned your father fought in, before you were born--defending our settlements from attacks. Protecting the innocent people inside." He glanced compassionately over at the little girl. "I... I do not feel as much guilt, for _those_ battles," he admitted. Then he heaved an even greater sigh than he had before. "But there were a few that were _not_ defensive."

Iroh's amber eyes dribbled wetly now, as he nearly choked. "Oh Chiko, _I did a terrible thing!_ I led our army to lay siege on Ba-Sing-Se, for nearly two years. It was what I had been _raised_ to do, of course--me being the crown prince, at the time--but that didn't make it any less wrong. So many people, the Earth and the Fire alike, died because of _me!_ "

Chiko had been growing more and more upset--both at the idea that her grandfatherly new friend could have caused something so awful, and at the sight of him going all to pieces in front of her. She clung to the one thing she could think of, in her six-year-old innocence, that might bandage both of these problems. "--But you're sorry," she took a tiny step forward, almost insistently. "You're _sorry,_ right, Sir Uncle?!"

" _From the very bottom of my soul,_ " Iroh nodded, his haggard voice _truly_ showing that he meant it. The sea breeze caught his mane of gray hair, as he stared out over the horizon. "...I knew I did not _deserve_ forgiveness, nor will I ever. But I begged Heaven for it anyway."

The broad old hands that had once been bloodstained gripped the side of the boat, washed like new snow. These were hands that petted fieldmice now, and tickled babies, and took the brunt of lightning bolts to redirect them away from the helpless and the innocent. Iroh's heart calmed, and he exhaled, smiling for the first time. He closed his eyes humbly, in gratitude. "...And Heaven forgave. _And General Iroh died._ "

_A NEW heart. A CHANGED spirit. THAT was why Iroh was able to go through life so gently and merrily, WITHOUT dishonoring the lives that had been lost at Ba-Sing-Se. Because the monster that had led the attack against them was DEAD. Because the soul that the monster had once stifled was FREE now, to spend every waking moment making the world a KINDER place, instead of a CRUELER one._

_That was Heaven's mighty gift to him._

"I'm just Iroh now, Uncle Iroh," the old man concluded, drawing back away from the ship's railing. He looked down at his tiny friend again, and his regretful frown came back. "...And Sir Uncle is a blamed old fool, rambling on about such dark things in front of you. I am sorry, little Chiko. I shouldn't have upset you like that."

Chiko was still staring intently, hugging Rei close to her. Iroh's gentle demeanor came back as he half-knelt to her, motioning with open palms. "Go... go along and play now. Go on."

Yumi reappeared as Chiko ran off. Her hands were clasped over her mouth. "I am _so sorry,_ Sir Iroh!" the thirty-odd-year-old woman half-gasped in shame and sympathy.

"Yumi! You overheard?" Iroh forehead-wrinkles deepened as he asked.

The lieutenant had been watching from the top of the stair-hatch the whole time. She put her hand on the shoulder of Zuko's uncle, whom they all loved so much. "I had _no idea,_ how deeply you felt about it," she admitted. "I _promise_ \--I'll never call you 'General' again."

Iroh reached up and patted her fingers with his own, gratified by her understanding.

***

Chiko, meanwhile, had gone to find Zuko. Even if he _wasn't_ the most powerful bender, surely the Fire Lord knew _everything!_

Now that the speeches were over, and he was just amongst his crew for the rest of the week, the young man had shed his crown. He wandered about the decks in less-layered (but still well-made) robe of red and brown, his long black hair falling below a simpler, ungilded topknot now.

"...Chiko?" Zuko asked with concern, as the little stowaway toddled up to him. She had a look on her face that he could only describe as very sad and serious concentration. "What's wrong?"

"Sir Uncle started talkin' about his... his _seej,_ " Chiko tried to remember the unfamiliar word, hugging Rei to her tightly. Her big eyes darted up to Zuko. "And he said 'General Iroh died.' What did he mean?! How can he still be here if he... if he _died?!_ "

Zuko bit his lip, realizing that this was indeed a heavy subject the young girl had overheard this morning. He softened his crackling voice the best that he could. "What he _means_ is, he's such a different person now, the old General Iroh wouldn't even recognize him anymore."

Chiko watched intently as the Fire Lord bent down to her level, heaving quite a heavy sigh of his own. "I know this is hard for you to understand... and I know it's upsetting to think about..." Zuko whispered. "But... do you know the story of St. Zon-Lo?"

Chiko did--she gave a little "Mmm" in reply, bobbing her head.

Zon-Lo was an important saint in Fire Nation folktales. He had once been a bandit tyrant, but was later so overcome with remorse for his violent past, he traveled the whole archipelago as a healer, working tirelessly to help the people who had once been his victims. Zon-Lo became such an incredibly humble and loving man--doing so many heroic and selfless things to _preserve_ life, instead of harm it--that he had then been woven into gentle lullabies, and little charm-tags in shrines, over the past thousand years.

"Well..." Zuko's whisper continued, "I think Uncle Iroh is someone like that. He became like St. Zon-Lo--a totally new creation."

Chiko met her monarch's eyes, staring somberly. "Because he was sorry?"

Zuko stopped and considered this for a moment. "Yes..." he finally acknowledged, "but it's not just a matter of saying 'sorry,' you understand--sometimes people say 'sorry' and don't mean it. Sometimes people are still dangerous." His golden irises traveled sideways, back over the horizon.

"My father and sister..." the young Fire Lord clutched his own shoulders now, as if hugging himself for strength; "...are not nice people. Maybe someday their hearts will change--but they haven't shown any signs of it yet. And so, we stay away from them." _And keep them locked up, where they can't hurt people anymore._

He looked back at Chiko again, who was clutching her doll almost like he had been clutching himself. "But Uncle Iroh..." Zuko's voice was the most sincere she had ever heard it; "his heart really DID change. You don't have to be afraid of Uncle Iroh, Chiko. You have my word on that."

Though as silent as ever, the little girl stared hopefully up at him now. Zuko's slender chest warmed as he spoke of his mentor--his guardian. "This last summer... he fought to FREE the city of Ba-Sing-Se, the same place he had once tried to conquer! And before that, he risked his life and gave up his freedom to protect the Avatar--preserving hope for the rest of the world, by landing himself in prison." Zuko's voice truly did crack, now. "He even forgave the unforgivable in ME--because it was _me_ who got him there!"

Chiko, who had rapidly been growing comforted, now gasped in shock and distress again. "YOU turned him in, Lord Zuko?!" Tears started dribbling down her plump cheeks. "B-but _why?!_ "

The young man shook his head again, clenching both his eyes and his fist tight shut at the memory. His voice held every bit as much self-loathing as Iroh's had earlier. "Because I was a _stupid, prideful_ boy who thought gaining my father's approval was more important than being kind to the world... and to the man who had been more of a father to me in every way imaginable but blood."

Then the wave of peace slowly took over, almost as it had with elder Firebender. "When I finally realized how horrible our tyranny was, I joined Team Avatar instead, to fight _against_ my father," Zuko began to smile, just barely. "And as for making it up to Uncle Iroh... when my friends and I finally found him, in the White Lotus camp...."

Chiko would never forget what happened next. Her Fire Lord--this serious, graceful, amazing figure--trembled all over with emotion, even at the _memory_ of what he was describing. His smile grew bigger, his voice wild with joy, even though it was hushed. "I was begging on my knees, and he didn't even let me finish apologizing. He grabbed me straight into his arms! _He wasn't even mad!_ " 

The boy leaned thoughtfully over the ship's railing then, watching the sea. "Uncle always says 'I begged the forgiveness of Heaven, and Heaven forgave.'" If the subject matter had been less serious, both Chiko and Zuko would have laughed, for the latter had done one of his scratchy imitations of Iroh's voice.

"...I figure, whatever that means, it must have been something like what he did for me that night," the young lord continued--now back in his own timbre. He shook his head, still smiling in wonder. "What do you do with love like that, Chiko? _What do you do with love like that?_ "

Looking to the horizon, Zuko let the tears fall now, as he answered his own question. "The miracle of it is, you don't have to DO anything--it's just THERE, waiting for you to embrace it!" He shuddered with joy once more, whispering. "And be so, _so, SO_ thankful."

Chiko cocked her head, still thinking very hard. "...Sir Uncle needs hugs, doesn't he?" she suddenly peeped.

Zuko almost laughed--he didn't realize the child would take the "embrace" part he spoke of literally! And yet, her innocent statement held a lot of perception within it.

"...Yes, Chiko," the boy smiled then, softly and a little sadly, bending down to her level once more. "Yes... he does. My uncle is normally the jolliest, happiest person I know, but he's been through an awful lot--probably even more than I've been through." Zuko rubbed the rough, red corner of his cheek. "His scars might not be as visible as mine--" the hand then flitted down to his chest; "but they're there, deep inside him."

Chiko looked down and rubbed her own tiny chest, considering this.

"...And he misses Lu-Ten," the young Fire Lord concluded, "just like I know you must miss your Mommy right now, Chiko."

The child's face darted back up. "Who's Lu-Ten?"

Zuko looked confused. "--You mean he didn't tell you?"

Chiko shook her head, hoping she hadn't said something wrong. "N-no."

"Oh..." Zuko slid down on the deck, actually sitting with their little passenger now. It seemed the sad task of explaining this had fallen to the Fire Lord as well, this morning. "Well--see, Lu-Ten was my cousin...."

***

When Chiko went to find Iroh again, in the ship's tower, she immediately ran up and hugged his leg. The rotund little elder looked down in shock at the mite, who had pressed her face into his robe. "Lord Zuko told me you lost your son!" Chiko almost sobbed in sympathy. "I'm _so sorry,_ Sir Uncle!"

Iroh _felt_ his heart break and melt simultaneously. "Oh... oh, _bless you,_ little sweetheart," he reached down and petted her, eyes instantly dewing. "I'm very sorry you lost your mother, too," he added.

Chiko looked up at her silver-haired friend again, sniffling. "Do... do you still remember Lu-Ten?"

"Of COURSE I do!" Iroh nodded emphatically. Despite the grief, his old face grew a proud, fond smile as he told her, "He was a _beautiful_ boy. Strong and friendly and... and playful, too." He turned to the window of the seating area, seeking the little sunbeams that were his private reminder of his first child.

"I'm so scared I'll forget Mommy," Chiko's soft voice brought Iroh back to the present.

"I mean--I mean, I'll never forget she loved me!" the little girl cried again as she sought to explain. "She even gave me a _dream_ last night, to remind me she _still_ loves me! But... but her face... the way she'd wrap me up in blankets..." Chiko's features grew stern in childish concentration; "the way she clinked her chopsticks in the kitchen... the little things we'd do together...."

Iroh took a seat next to the young stowaway, lacing his pudgy fingers over his obi. He kindly considered her problem. "Well..." he spoke after a moment; "do you think it would help you feel better to write these things down?"

Chiko thought for a moment, then scrubbed at her cheek and nodded. "Y... yeah," she peeped, with a tiny note of hope.

Iroh got up to find her some parchments, from a desk nearby.

"Can I make them poems?" the little girl called after the elder's broad back.

"Of _course_ you can!" Sir Iroh thought that was a _fine_ idea. He spread the parchment-sheets and the pot of ink out on the low table in front of them, and handed Chiko the best calligraphy brush he could find for her small hands' size.

 _Five, seven, five...._ Chiko counted the spaces and began to print.

_You gave me cookies_  
_Made of almonds and fresh cream_  
_And you smiled to me_

The characters were larger than an adult's would be, and rather laborious, with an errant splotch falling off the inkbrush once or twice. But they were very clear, and lined up quite neatly in the usual three rows.

Iroh was impressed. "You write very _well_ for your age!" he let his tiny friend know, nodding to her encouragingly.

"I wanna be a calligrapher when I grow up," Chiko smiled shyly. "I make lotsa poems." Then her round face grew wistful again, as she thought of more things to say about her mother.

_I hid in blankets_  
_Your eyes were so big and round_  
_When I..._

"Hey... hey Sir Uncle?" the child looked pleadingly up at the elder. "What's the symbol for 'popped?'"

Iroh smiled gently, pulling an extra scrap of paper forward, and cupping his big hand under Chiko's, for her to hand him the brush. It was not surprising that Chiko did not know all of the letters yet--at the tender age of six, even an aspiring little calligrapher like her would only know a couple hundred symbols, at best, out of the nearly 3,000 in circulation amidst the Four Nations. He stroked it out for her, then gave her back the writing implement.

 _When I popped back out,_ Chiko completed her line. Her eyes grew sad, as she remembered her sweet mother's laugh. Then she looked over at her new friend--this heavy, silvery noble who was also missing someone special.

Iroh stared in surprise, as he felt the sheet of parchment being pressed into his beard.

"Here," Chiko peeped earnestly; "now you write one about Lu-Ten."

The old Firebender was silent for a moment. Then, slowly, reverently, he took the calligraphy brush back from the child, and pressed it to an empty place on the page.

_My brave little boy_  
_You dove in the palace lake_  
_To save a kitten_

Iroh's adult scrawl was a bit smaller and more delicate, of course, but it was no less heartfelt. And he was deeply honored that Chiko wanted to share this paper with him--letting him transcribe sacred memories of his son, right next to hers of her mother.

The two of them passed the first sheet back and forth, very quietly and tenderly. Then another, and another, as their scribblings and their memories grew side by side.

_Every night you sang_  
_Your voice felt like butterflies_  
_Kiss away nightmares_

_Tugging at my beard_  
_Your small laugh was so precious_  
_I could not feel pain_

_You wanted red shoes_  
_You thought they were so pretty_  
_At the market stall_

_Laughing at my height_  
_I could barely believe it_  
_When you grew so tall_

By the end of the third page, their tears had grown too thick for them to go on. The child and the elder curled together for support--Chiko crying into Iroh's chest, and he into her hair--there amidst the cushions of the seating-room. That was how Zuko found them, moments later, when he came in to check.

"Hey... hey, what's this?" the young lord asked, his voice somewhere between compassion and alarm. He bent down to the shuddering bundle, shaking Iroh's shoulder gently.

His uncle resurfaced, after a mighty sniffle. "...It's all right, Nephew. We had to write poems to remember Chiko's mother and Lu-Ten; then we had to cry for a little bit," he explained, patiently. "Now, I think we need to have some tea."

Zuko bent down further, slipping Iroh's palms into his own. "Your hands are shaking," he observed, worried. "Let me make it. I _am_ getting better," he thought to add.

The older Firebender managed a brief, weak chuckle at that. "Yes," he acknowledged kindly, "you are."

Zuko cracked a smile. "What type do you want?"

"Well," Iroh stretched his back, "at the moment, I could use some ginseng--but it's not good for children..." he fretted.

"We _have_ more than one pot onboard, Uncle," the Fire Lord reminded him, cocking a longsuffering eyebrow.

"Very true," the weak chuckle returned. Then Iroh looked down at the little girl in his lap. "Chiko?" he asked her, very gently. "What kind of tea would you like, sweetheart?"

Chiko's voice was muffled, her face still buried in the elder's soft belly. "D'no."

Ah, well... there would be more time to educate her on tea later. "Give her some lemon blossom," Iroh whispered, kindly making the child's decision for her; "and put lots of honey in it."

Zuko got two kettles ready, bending the flames under then with great care. Then he and his esteemed uncle and their tiny stowaway sat together, and had tea for a while. And they all felt much better after that.

***

The next four days went by without any tears at all. Iroh, Zuko, and the whole crew were tickled with keeping Chiko amused.

The best thing of all was, the child didn't require a great deal of energy to content her. She would often play quietly with Rei or with more calligraphy paper, letting the adults go about their business, as she sat near them in companionable silence. Sometimes she didn't even do an activity at all, and just enjoyed being there.

Especially with Sir Uncle and Lord Zuko. The round, jolly, soothing old man was her favorite, followed closely by his... nephew. It was strange, how many times Chiko had to stop herself from calling Zuko Iroh's son. The two of them laughed (well, Iroh did most of the hearty laughing, but Zuko still smiled) and talked and played Pai-Sho together in front of her. Sometimes Iroh even even fell into a doze against Zuko's shoulder, and the boy tucked his chin over the half-bald head, uncomplaining.

Even though Lord Zuko always made time to check on Chiko, and have fun with her and the crew from time to time, the little girl could tell that he had important duties. Sometimes she found him bent over his desk, holding his temples tiredly in concentration as he reviewed another report from home.

\--Mommy always said people felt better when they were appreciated. Chiko thought it might be nice to give her Fire Lord a bouquet of flowers... but there weren't many fresh ones onboard, especially right now, in winter. So, she had promptly drawn some instead, with little smiles inside their petaled faces. And she had crept quietly up to Zuko's desk, and slipped the paper over his dry adult reports, with her little inkstained fingers. ...Chiko hadn't seen it, but the young man had smiled, deeply touched, as she left.

\--There was always time for a little mischief, however. Chiko had also stolen the decorative mask from Lord Zuko's wall, at one point, and used it to sneak up on Shur. Yumi and the other crewmen had laughed _so loud_ when the young man had fallen over in surprise, nearly spilling his bowl of soup!

And there had been plenty of stories and songs, Iroh always loving to get everyone together at "music night." The elder noble might have had a gravelly voice, and been a little tone-deaf... but his sheer joy was so infectious, no one ever complained when he started to warble. In fact, the crew often asked him for their favorite songs. Chiko was so proud when he sang "The Chicken-Pig Dance"--a popular ditty from the Earth Kingdom, and its former Fire colonies--just for her.

Iroh and Zuko had passed Chiko back and forth, bouncing her on their knees, enjoying her laughter. They had had to set her down briefly, though, for an extra-special event one night. All of the benders onboard had gotten together to make a "fireworks" show, outside on the deck. Lt. Yumi's friend, Captain Karou; the ship's helmsman, Reeza (a stern, formidable older woman, with hair almost as long and silver as Iroh's); and nearly a dozen others who were born with the gift, all stood in formation to entertain the remaining two-thirds of the crew.

They made sparklers and pinwheels of fire with their hands--jumping, waving, and dancing. Several shot trailing flames into the sky, like party streamers. The two former Fire princes were the centerpiece, of course--Zuko and Iroh twirled resplendently, doing tricks and swishing their flames like dancing-scarves around themselves, as the other benders made an ever-shifting half-circle around them.

It was a tribute to their bond that the Fire Lord and his uncle--despite being opposites in height, weight, age, and so many other areas--could synchronize so well. Their limbs, the short and the long, mirrored each other perfectly as they danced towards the prow of the ship, letting loose twin fireballs from their palms. Everyone gasped as the two beacons merged and reared up like a dragon, long-bodied and glistening, Iroh's fireball making most of the semi-detailed "head."

Chiko's big amber eyes glowed, and would forevermore at the memory. Her mouth was open in such a smile of wonder, she forgot to go "Oooooo!..." with the adults as the "fire-dragon" dissipated in a shower of embers, casting extra lights over the already-starlit sea.

***

It was on the seventh day, nearing home, that the stowaway child suddenly had a bout of crying again.

At first, as had become usual, the morning had been filled with good humor. Several of the crewmen could not help but chuckle as they saw Zuko's uncle, the great Dragon of the West, bouncing from door to door like a silk-wrapped toy ball. "Where aaaaaaare you?" the old gravelly voice called out, in a happy sing-song tone.

_They were playing hide-and-seek._

Chiko clapped her tiny hands over her mouth, fighting the urge to giggle, though a few little squeaks did come out. She hunkered behind this potted plant in Iroh's quarters, congratulating herself on such a clever hiding place. _Surely_ the old Firebender would never guess to search in his _own cabin!_

To her credit, Chiko was right, for a whole five minutes. After that, though, she felt those same, strong-yet-gentle hands that had plucked her out of the plum-barrel, now picking her up from behind this extra-large bonsai tree.

"Oh-hoh! Gotcha!" Iroh growled friendlily, grinning at his victory.

Chiko squealed with delight, kicking her legs midair. "YEEEEheeheeheeeee! Now _you_ try, Sir Uncle!"

"Me?" the old amber eyes widened, though not in protest. "You want _me_ to go hide? I am not so sure that I can squeeze into as many places as you, little one, especially with my big belly!" Iroh laughed, rubbing his paunch good-naturedly.

Chiko laughed with her jolly friend, beaming up at him with as much affection as ever. "Awwww, but it's a big ship... can't ya at least _try?_ " she then pleaded, seeming to sprout extra eyelashes.

"Well... perhaps I still have a few tricks up my sleeve," Iroh winked, giving in.

His little companion giggled again, and ran to a corner, burying her eyes in one arm as she began counting.

\--Now it was the tiny girl the crewmen were chuckling fondly at, as she tiptoed around the deck and the tower, chanting, "Where's your feet, Sir Uncle? Where's your whisker-tips? I bet I can find your big fat tummy stickin' out somewhere! Heeeheehee, I'm gonna _getcha!_ "

It was actually the feet (and perhaps the slight bulge as well) that gave him away. After a few false leads (including a gray feather-duster sticking out of a closet door), Chiko found Iroh hidden behind a curtain in the game room, the pointed ends of his boots peeking out from under it.

"BOO!!" the little girl beamed hugely as she whipped the drapery back, her amber eyes twinkling up at her elderly friend.

"Boo!" Iroh chuckled and agreed, shoulders shaking. His own amber irises twinkled right back. "Shall we try it once more?"

Chiko wriggled with delight and nodded, running off. Iroh chuckled again and began to count, raising his palms to his face. "One, two, three...."

That cleaning-closet where she had found the feather-duster had looked like a good place to hide. Chiko made her way back there, and even managed to climb up into one of its larger cabinets, keeping its door open just a crack, so she could breathe. She hugged her little knees into her chest and grinned, waiting to be found.

While she waited, some of the other crewmen unknowingly walked by. Two of these were Shur and Reeza.

"You should probably start getting his Majesty's things in order, Shur," the older woman advised Zuko's manservant, as she made her way back to her post at the steering-booth. "We should land in Capital City by nightfall, if the waves keep cooperating." 

Chiko's small features fell at this pronouncement. She had always known that this week at sea would not last forever, of course--and yet, she had sort of pushed that thought back in her young mind, for the past few days. The child meditated unhappily on this, as Shur and Reeza continued past the closet, and she was left alone again.

...She didn't _want_ to be put in another orphanage, even if it _was_ a really nice one in the Fire Nation capital. She had _friends_ now--friends that she didn't want to lose... perhaps "friends" wasn't even the right word, for a certain two of them. There was a _new_ word forming in Chiko's mind now... "family."

It took Iroh several minutes to guess this new hiding place--even a little longer than it had taken him to guess the bonsai corner of his cabin. So Chiko had a while to mull over these thoughts, before Iroh's broad fingers finally slipped in and pulled the cabinet-door open.

Instead of the happy, giggling face that he had been growing accustomed to finding, the old Firebender was met with a tragic one, Chiko's little eyes wavering. She fell straight into his arms.

"Chiko! Whatever is the matter?" Iroh took the small bundle warmly, wrapping her in his kimono-sleeves.

"Oh, Sir Uncle!" the little girl buried her face in his chest and began to cry again. "They said we're gonna be in the Fire Nation by tonight!" Her small fingers nearly pinched the old man as she gripped his silks tighter. "I... I don't wanna _leave!_ "

Iroh felt his own eyes moisten, suddenly realizing what she meant. Perhaps he had been repressing the same increasingly-unpleasant fact himself, wise and honest with himself though he normally was.

Chiko curled deeply within him now, pulling his fluffy beard around her cheek. Only her little brunette topknot was visible, the rest of her all covered either by Iroh's arms, his whiskers, or the squashy folds of his belly. _...As if HE was her new hiding place._

Iroh felt his heart melt again. "Oh... oh, sweet baby, sweet baby," he cooed, trying to calm Chiko as if he would an infant, rocking her back and forth. But he found that he could scarcely calm himself. " _I don't want you to leave either,_ " he admitted, pressing the child against his heart, as his own tears leaked freely.

"I wish you were my daddy," Chiko suddenly peeped, now hiccuping in her sadness. "...Or my grandpa," she added, realizing that the silvery face before her would probably fit more in that age bracket. The fact that Iroh was a noble, and she was a peasant, never even occurred to the little girl at that moment. This had nothing to do with her moving from a seamstress' shack to a palace--it had everything to do with a simple feeling.

It was a feeling Chiko had enjoyed her whole life, up until the day her mother had died, about a month ago. It had disappeared for three horrible weeks. Then a glimmer of it had reappeared, from the moment Iroh had discovered her in the ship's larder. The feeling had, furthermore, gone into confused hiding when the old man had spoken so harshly of his past self, and the siege of Ba-Sing-Se.

It had softly, yet triumphantly, returned when Lord Zuko had explained about St. Zon-Lo, and Sir Uncle's similar transformation. Then the feeling had just grown and grown, freely and joyously, for these past few days. _...It was a feeling that reminded Chiko of Mommy._ It didn't replace her-- _nothing_ could ever replace her! But it was something _similar_ to her. The six-year-old struggled to put it into words.

"You're soft and cuddly and warm," she whispered, still keeping her face pressed over Iroh's heart. "And you help me feel _safe_ again!"

The old man squeezed her tighter. _Oh Elements._ He inhaled hugely, the tears dribbling more freely than ever, despite the fact that his eyes were tight shut. _"You're soft and cuddly and warm. YOU HELP ME FEEL SAFE!"_

...He had never wanted the crown back. Ozai had probably been flabbergasted. Their father Azulon, and their grandfather Sozin, would probably have disowned him--and good riddance, for Iroh didn't want them anymore, either.

The only thing he truly wanted in life was to be a father.

_"I wish you were my daddy."_

_...Oh Elements._

_This was his coronation._

"Ch-Chiko?" the elder Firebender finally found his voice again, though it still broke when it came out. "I... I need to speak with Lord Zuko for a moment," he told the little girl, giving her one more tender squeeze to reassure her, and setting her down as gently as he possibly could. "You wait here, or in the sitting room."

***

"Zuko?" Iroh peeked around the deck with uncharacteristic shyness to find his nephew.

"Uncle Iroh!" the young Fire Lord smiled, parting from Shur--the two of them had been making a list of preparations, for later that evening. "Where've you been?" he asked, turning to his relative as his manservant walked off.

"Oh, just playing a little game with Chiko," Iroh half-chuckled and looked back, masking the serious tone he was about to inject into the conversation, but nevertheless introducing its subject.

Zuko smiled fondly at the mention of the little girl, who had drawn him that bouquet of "happy flowers," and had even succeeded in making him laugh one night, when she had pressed a noodle on his lip "to see how he'd look with a mustache." The young man lowered his eyes wistfully, and unknowingly answered Iroh's prayers and questions both at once. "...I wish we could keep her."

Iroh could not restrain himself from grabbing his nephew to face him, eyes alight with joy. "You really mean that, Zuko??!"

Zuko stared for a moment, confused, but then nodded, as earnest as ever. "Yes, I... I do!"

The elder Firebender nearly teared up again, smiling as he explained, "She... _she wants that too!_ Oh Zuko... she said she wishes I were her _father!_ But I--I was so worried that..." Iroh faltered.

Zuko held both of the old broad hands that were now on his shoulders, taking charge in a loving but no-nonsense tone. "Worried that _what?_ " he demanded.

Iroh winced, failing to meet his nephew's eyes for the first time. "That you... that you might think things would change between us, if I were to have a _legal_ child again. I know how my brother hurt you, by playing favorites between you and Azula...."

"Hey!" Zuko slipped one of his hands behind Iroh's beard now, to find the place where his chin began. In a strange reversal of roles, the young man pulled his paternal figure's face back up to meet his own, as sternly but lovingly as ever. "Chiko is NOT Azula. And _you're_ not _Father!_ " he declared plainly, aghast that Iroh could even consider such a thing.

Noting how surprised the old man looked at being treated like a child, Zuko's face softened, releasing his grip. "Was I ever jealous of Lu-Ten?" he smiled reassuringly.

Iroh smiled back then, gratefully. "No," he shook his head, and knew this to be the truth. There had never been a quarrel between the two little princes, back when Lu-Ten had been alive. Zuko had _always_ known Iroh had loved him, just like he had loved his biological son.

"You are life's _apology_ to me for Father, Uncle Iroh," the Fire Lord put his own hands over his relative's shoulders, now. "And it took me far too long to realize it. ...Maybe life has decided to start apologizing for Azula now, too," he added, thoughtfully.

Iroh had one more worry, though, as he massaged Zuko's fingers. "...What if I'm too old?" his rumbly voice came out in an uncharacteristic peep. "I'm already pretty much old enough to be _your_ grandfather, Zuko... and Chiko is twelve years younger than _you!_ "

"But you're an _amazing_ bender!" his nephew reassured him, for the second time that day. "People like you, whom the elements have touched so strongly--you tend to live a lot longer. Just look at all your White Lotus buddies, like King Bumi!" Zuko gave another of those half-grins, more humorously this time, as he thought of the ancient, eccentric Earthbender. "...I hope you live as long as him," he added, more tenderly again.

Iroh smiled sweetly at this. "So do I, my boy. For _your_ sake. And little Chiko's now, too." His amber eyes wrinkled up with the same concern as earlier. "But if-- _if_ something were to happen...."

The younger Firebender didn't even give him a chance to finish. Zuko clasped both of Iroh's broad hands together in his own. "Then _I'll_ take care of her," he offered. It was sudden, but he realized that he truly meant it. "I'm the Fire Lord of the whole nation! And I may have a wife and kids of my own someday, but Chiko will be like my little sister." His golden irises shared a warmth that passed into the old amber ones. "I promise, as long as I'm around, she'll _always_ be provided for, Uncle Iroh. You'll never have to worry."

Iroh bowed his head and smiled, humbly, gratefully. He thanked Heaven that his unofficial adoptive child apparently shared the same love for Chiko that he did. This made his decision--the decision of a second, official adoption-- _so_ much easier! ...As did the sunbeam now landing on his pudgy cheek, like a kiss.

 _Oh, Lu-Ten,_ Iroh nearly cried with joy as he looked out to sea. _You think so too? THANK YOU, my dear boy! Chiko will be YOUR little sister now, too, every bit as much as she will be Zuko's. I promise, I'll always teach her to remember you, just as we'll remember her mother together._

The Dragon of the West had once laid a beautiful egg. He had protectively snatched another, from out of his brother's crushing talons and devouring jaws. And now, a third egg had fallen into his nest. _A whole dragon's brood._

"Zuko..." he stared up at his precious nephew once more; "you know that I would love you every bit as much, if Lu-Ten were alive again, don't you?" Iroh thought he had told the boy this before, but he wanted to make sure.

Zuko nodded, still clasping his uncle's hands reassuringly. "Of _course_ I do." _How could the man who had willingly followed him into exile for three years, and forgiven his unforgivable betrayal so easily, do anything less?_

"You're my baby," Iroh added as his smile grew back, cupping his big hand around Zuko's cheek.

The young monarch might have grown embarrassed at this a year ago, but he didn't now. He grinned affectionately at the warmth. "I know. And now Chiko's gonna be OUR baby!" He tugged happily at Iroh's other hand, almost like an enthusiastic child himself. "Come on--let's go tell her."

***

Despite her gentleness, and her predisposition to sit still and rest like the mostly-passive Iroh, Chiko had still turned into quite a bouncy little child one particular night. That was when the crew had given her several candied peaches--Shur, Yumi, Karou, and several others didn't know their cohorts had already done so, when Chiko had stared up at each of them in turn, with butterfly-puppy eyes. Quite a sneaky little trick, that--and Iroh had laughed heartily about it, despite his little playmate then running in circles around him.

If the former Fire princes thought Chiko could hop about when her innards were buzzing with sugar, it was nothing compared to the way she bounced around now when they told her the news. The little girl squealed and leaped for joy, so much so that Zuko and Iroh (especially the somewhat taller Zuko, with his longer reach) had to grab her mid-air, worried she might fall overboard!

It was hard to decipher Chiko's excited babbling at first, it all came out so fast--but the phrase she clearly kept repeating, besides "thank you," was "I love you, Sir Uncle, I love you, Lord Zuko! I love you I love you Iloveyou!!" Iroh had to find another handkerchief to clean her face as he held her, chuckling lovingly in return. Happy tears were a welcome change from sad ones, but they did still make quite a mess, at the rate they were flowing! (Of course, it was then that he realized his own cheeks and fuzzy sideburns were sopping wet too.)

"It won't be 'Sir Uncle' anymore, though, you realize," he grinned at the mite, as he dabbed her plump cheeks. "Not 'Sir,' at any rate! What would _you_ like to call me, sweetheart?" he thought it best to let Chiko choose. The official adoption would be held in a week or two, of course, after they had gotten other matters settled, upon their arrival in Capital City--but there was no sense in making the little girl wait to start calling Iroh her father, since that was what she already longed for so badly.

Chiko ran through several options in her six-year-old mind. "Father" sounded too formal... and "Daddy" was already taken, in a way, even though she had never met Yori personally. "Papa" was closer, but still not quite perfect. She found the word softening as it came out of her mouth. "Ba... Bapa," she pronounced, thoughtfully, staring at the clouds. She smiled up at her new guardian, from where she lay in his arms. "Bapa," she repeated, more firmly.

Iroh grinned from sideburn to sideburn. "'Bapa' it is, then," he agreed, and kissed her cheek. Chiko squealed aloud again, half with joy, half because the elder Firebender's beard had tickled her chin.

Zuko grinned too, waiting his turn. "And what will you call _me,_ little one?"

Chiko looked upward and began to think again. " _Not_ 'Zuzu,'" Iroh cautioned her, hoping to avoid any unpleasant memories. "That was... what his _other_ sister called him."

The child's amber eyes were completely without guile, as they met the Fire Lord's. "...Can I call you 'Koko' then?" she asked. Before he could speak, she interrupted herself. "--Oh, but wait! That wouldn't make sense... 'cause I could be a 'Koko' too!" It was strange, but Chiko had only just then realized that her monarch--soon to be her cousin, legally, and her brother in heart--had the same last syllable to his name as she did.

"Well," Zuko's crackly voice held a friendly tone, providing the answer; "why don't you be 'Little Ko' and I be 'Big Ko?'"

"-- _Yeah!!_ " Chiko liked this idea even more than he thought she would. "Big Ko!" she cried joyfully, launching herself from Iroh's embrace to wrap her arms around her new "cousin-brother's" neck.

Zuko gave one of his quiet chuckles in half-surprise, returning the affection. Iroh, of course, was not about to be left out. " _My babies,_ " he rumbled, pulling them both back into his cuddly grip.

For Chiko, this was bliss. She had never in all her life been hugged by _two people at once!_ She snuggled between the uncle and nephew, thoroughly enjoying being the "filling" to their "sandwich," still giggling aloud with joy.

Iroh and Zuko smiled affectionately at each other over Chiko's topknot, then back down at the little girl. _She hadn't even said a word about the palace, or about being a "princess" or a "lady," as most little girls probably would have,_ they suddenly realized. _She didn't love them because of their titles. She loved them because they had made her feel welcomed and cherished--because her little heart had made a connection with theirs._

_If they really HAD been the Earth Kingdom peasants Mushi and Lee, she would have been laughing JUST AS MUCH!_

_This was true love._

It seemed as if nothing could spoil their happy family moment. But as he rested his chin over Iroh's shoulder, Zuko suddenly spotted a strange speck on the horizon, off the side of the ship. He squinted. "--What is that...?"

Still cuddling Chiko into his breast, Iroh got up to look too. The new little family all peered out over the waves (Chiko's view partially blocked, as the railing was just slightly below her topknot, at the level Iroh held her).

"Your eyes are younger than mine, Nephew," the older man admitted after a moment, shrugging despite his concern. "You tell me."

Zuko's face fell as the shape got closer. _It was gaining._

"Oh NO," the Fire Lord's husky voice dropped in horror. He grabbed his uncle and his new cousin protectively, ushering them away from the railing. "Warn Captain Karou and Helmsman Reeza immediately. _Get the guards ready!_ " he called over his shoulder, to all of the crewmen present on the deck to hear.

"What is it?!" Iroh cried in alarm.

Zuko gritted his teeth. " _Pirates._ "


End file.
